Wings
by princesserinla
Summary: Dean is curious to see what Castiel's wings look like.


"So, if you're an angel," Dean spoke suddenly one night as he drove the Impala down a winding country road, Castiel in the passenger seat. They were headed back to the motel where Sam currently was, having gone on a much needed beer and snack run. "Shouldn't you have wings or something? You know, in all those movies and religious junk, you guys all have some ridiculous wing. Why don't you?" Dean averted his eyes from the road for a quick second to glance at the angel.

"I do have wings." Cas replied simply, as though it were completely obvious, despite the apparent absence of them.

"Okay. So where are they, then?" Cas's lack of elaboration could be frustrating sometimes. "'Cause I sure as hell don't see them."

"I can't show you in here. The confines of your car are far too small to allow adequate space."

"Huh. So, what? You can just hide them if you want?"

"Yes, that is the general idea."

"Well how come you've never shown me?"

Cas gave the hunter a curious expression. "There has never been reason to. In this form my wings are mostly an irrelevant extravagance. They serve little purpose."

Dean laughed. Cas was like a robot sometimes, though it was kind of endearing in it's own way. "Can you fly?"

"I could if I desired to, but I have no reason. I can easily gravitate through space at will. Flying would be unnecessary."

Without warning, Dean suddenly pulled the Impala over on the side of the road, and cut the ignition.

"Dean, is something wrong?"

But Dean was smiling, as he got out of the car, and nodded at Cas to follow.

"I want you to show me." Dean stated, leading Cas off of the road and into a lightly wooded cluster of trees.

"If I had known you were so interested I would have told you before."

"Why wouldn't I be? I mean, wings, that sounds pretty friggin' badass if you ask me."

They passed through the trees, and found a grassy clearing, where the sky opened up, bright with stars above them. They weren't anywhere near any big cities, and pretty far out into the country, so the view was magnificent.

"This enough room?" Dean asked, staring around with his hands on his hips.

"Plenty." Cas said with a nod. He moved into the clearing so he was standing several feet in front of Dean, and began to shed off his coat, blazer, and tie.

"Woah, woah!" Dean interjected, just as Cas began to unbutton his shirt. "I asked to see your wings, Cas, not for a strip tease."

Cas tilted his head, his hands still frozen on a button midway down his shirt. "They come out of my shoulder blades, Dean. I can't do it with a shirt on."

Dean rolled his eyes and waved a hand indicating for Cas to carry on.

He tried his best to act nonchalant as Cas peeled off his last layer, leaving him bare-chested, but he felt a bit dazed. He struggled to stop his gaze from raking over the angel's torso. Well, technically it was Jimmy's body, but he had never known Cas too look like anyone else, so as far as Dean was concerned, it was all Cas.

So, maybe it wasn't the first time he had caught himself unable to look away from Cas. But what did that matter? It wasn't like _that._ No way. Cas was his friend. And more importantly, Cas was a _dude_.

"Dean?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"You seem pensive."

"I'm fine, Cas." Dean shook his head, tossing away his thoughts. "Are you going to do this thing, or are we going to stand here all night?" He asked expectantly, hoping to distract the angel from prying.

Cas nodded, and screwed up his face. It was a bit comical from someone who always appeared so stoic.

It wasn't until now that Dean had really let the idea of Cas having wings sink in. His wings came from his shoulder blades, but obviously they had never been present until now, which meant that they had to go _somewhere_ when they weren't visible. His stomach dropped as the realization hit him.

"Cas!" Dean yelped in concern as Cas cringed, slightly bent over. Blood was dripping down his back.

But in a second it was all done. Once the wings had torn through the skin, it was quick. Cas let out a last gasp of pain as the enormous black wings folded out in a flourish, splattering blood on the grass by their feet.

"Dammit, Cas!" Dean stressed, darting to Cas, who was doubled over and panting. He placed a hand on the other's shoulder. "Why didn't you _tell_ me it was like that? I never would have asked if I—I just didn't think—" He felt awful. Hadn't it been obvious that it would work that way? He never would have wanted Cas to be in pain. Use your _head_, Winchester!

"Dean, it's fine." Cas said, a rare smile ghosting his lips, and he stood up straight. Despite the apparent pain he had endured moments ago, the angel seemed fine. "I'm an angel. It isn't so bad. The skin has already healed around my wings, and no scars will be left once I retract them."

Dean nodded, though he still looked concerned.

He stepped back a few paces, eager despite everything to take in his friend's appearance.

The feathers were slick, shinning, and as black as onyx. The moon seemed to be on their side that night, as it was full and bright in the sky behind them, illuminating the clearing, and Castiel's visage. Some of the starlight reflected in the few dregs of blood still dripping from the feathers. He had never seen the angel look so accurately celestial before. He normally just looked scruffy.

"Wow…that really is something." Dean said, feeling a bit intoxicated by the whole scene. His wingspan had to be at least four meters in total. It was unreal.

His eyes raked across the skeletal frame of the wings, ignorant to the way his mouth was hanging slightly ajar.

Dean raised his gaze to fall on Cas's, looking bright and content. The hunter almost thought the other was glowing, but it had nothing to do with the wings or the moonlight. He was just holding himself like that, his chin raised, remnants of his earlier smile still teasing at the corners of his lips. It was something internal. He seemed more relaxed and contented than usual.

"Jesus, Cas, you've got some damn bright eyes. You look like you're wearing contacts." Dean wanted to gather the words into his hands and shove them back down his throat. What the hell was wrong with him? Well, at least it was just Cas, who was always too dense to catch onto anything that could be construed as accidental flirtation.

Castiel tilted his head. "Jimmy's eyes. This is just a vessel, Dean. My true form—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Wavelength of light, Chrysler building, all that bullshit. But I don't know Jimmy, I know Cas. And you sure as hell look like Cas to me. So just accept the compliment, alright?"

He wished Cas didn't have such a piercing gaze. The angel just stared for a moment before slowly nodding his head.

Cas had a knack for creating awkward silences, but this one was just brutal. Dean could almost feel the unspoken words hanging in the empty air between them. He didn't know how long he was standing there, struggling internally to mend together his carefully built wall that was crumbling down by the passing second.

_I'm _not_ gay, I'm not gay, I love women, this is _Castiel_, for Christ's sake! Pull it together, he's your friend. Your male friend._

But the other voice in the back of his mind, the one that was much quieter and always being shoved back piped up.

He could spend all the time in the world denying it, but he _knew_ how he felt. It wasn't as though he didn't recognize the way his heart raced and his skin tingled at contact. Who was he kidding, anyway?

Because this was far from the first time that he had looked at Cas this way. Part of him wanted to deny it until the day he died (and _stayed_ dead), and the other part of him implored to just give it up, because what was the point, anyway?

Dean filled his lungs with a deep breath, and decided to break the silence.

"Cas,"

"Dean,"

They spoke at the same time, and it was quiet again, their eyes locked as they both waited for the other to speak.

"Sam is waiting on us." Cas said, finally.

"Yeah, Cas. I know. I just…" _Fuck it_. He thought, and before he could talk himself out of it, Dean quickly moved to close the few feet of space between them, pressing his lips to Cas's, and curling his finger's around the other man's neck.

Cas's heartbeat pulsing beneath his skin indicated his surprise.

Dean's mind raced as he wondered a number of ridiculous things spanning from whether or not Sam would notice if the two of them just stayed there all night, to _why _had he spent so much time pretending this wasn't there.

With insurmountable effort, Dean pulled back, his eyes resting on Cas's for a moment before he was brought back to Earth, and quickly stepped back.

"Yeah, uh, Sam is probably getting concerned." Dean said quickly, desperately trying to avoid another awkward silence as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "So why don't you get yourself decent again and…just…meet me back at the car."

Dean didn't waste another moment before heading back towards the road.

He was losing his mind. He was losing his _damn_ mind and he just needed to get back to his baby and pretend that this hadn't happened.

_Yes, because you're likely to forget _that_ anytime soon_.

The hunter froze, and glanced over his shoulder at the angel who was shrugging his button up back on. The wings were already gone.

"Cas." He said. The words came out more distressed than he had intended.

Castiel looked up at him, and Dean was surprised to see that Cas was _grinning_. A full-blown, completely un-Cas _grin_.

"Uh," Dean vocalized stupidly, taken off guard as all his words disappeared. "Just…don't…don't say anything, alright?"

The angel just grinned and nodded, leaving a flustered Dean to make his way quickly back to the Impala, where he sat in the drivers seat, smiling despite himself, and waited for Cas to join him.


End file.
